Wire saw machines are used, for example, to slice ingots into wafers. These ingots are typically made of silicon or other semiconductor or solar grade material. The ingot is connected to structure of the wire saw by a bond beam and an ingot holder. The ingot is bonded with adhesive to the bond beam, and the bond beam is in turn bonded with adhesive to the ingot holder. The ingot holder is connected by any suitable fastening system to the wire saw structure.
In operation, the ingot is contacted by a web of moving wires in the wire saw that slice the ingot into a plurality of wafers. The wires initially contact the ingot on a periphery of the ingot opposite the bond beam and then slice through the ingot towards the bond beam to form the wafers. The wires may contact the bond beam after slicing through the ingot. The wafers typically remain attached to the bond beam after completion of the slicing operation. The ingot holder, bond beam, and wafers are then removed from the wire saw. The wafers are separated from the bond beam and subjected to wafering processes. The bond beam must then be removed from the ingot holder before the holder is returned to service. Because the bond beam and holder are bonded together with adhesive, separating them is often time-consuming and costly.
Previous attempts to use mechanisms other than adhesive to connect the bond beam to the ingot holder have not yielded satisfactory results. Thus, there exists a need for a more efficient and effective system to connect the bond beam to the ingot holder.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.